Thousands of text messages were sent to voters in Israel’s Democrats party, portraying candidate Shper as a “far-left man who flatters those who justified Oct. 7.” The messages were a distorted version of criticism previously voiced by rival primary contender Ronen Tzur.
A subsequent check found that the sender listed for the messages was Shper’s own personal spokesman. According to the report, the aim was to make party members believe Tzur was running a smear campaign against Shper, and to provoke disgust at what appeared to be an attack from an opponent, even though the operation had been initiated by Shper’s camp itself.
As of Tuesday evening, both Shper and his spokesman had not responded to questions from N12. Shper later wrote on X, “I apologize.” The report was published on June 23, 2026, and said the affair was first revealed in the main evening news broadcast.
The episode comes just two weeks after the party approved a new bylaws clause allowing the removal of anyone who uses defamatory false propaganda. The case is expected to be the first major test for party leader Yair Golan under the new rules.
